1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a folding bench that folds into a compact carrying case which has internal capacity to carry items within the case.
2. Background of the Prior Art
When the weather is pleasant, picnickers are to be found everywhere. Pack a lunch into a basket or similar carrying item, find a nice spot, unpack and enjoy. On particularly gorgeous weekend days, some parks and recreation areas find picnickers jockeying for the best spots. Picnicking is one of life's great yet relatively inexpensive pleasures. The classic picture of picnicking has a person sitting with his favorite girl on a blanket with a picnic basket and food spread everywhere. While this classic model continues to be widely employed, many fans of the picnic arts are adding an increment of sophistication to the sport of picnicking.
Many picnickers desire to have the food sit off of the ground, including off of the blanket spread on the ground so that ants and other ground crawling bugs do not share in the festivities as well as to prevent certain open containers from being easily spilled on a relatively uneven ground surface. Some picnickers want to sit off of the ground either because the ground is wet and will soak through a covering blanket, or due to the passage of years, sitting on the ground becomes increasingly difficult (or at least getting up from the sitting position at the end of the day).
One solution to the sophisticated picnicker's dilemma is to picnic at established picnicking sites. Such sites tend to have tables, chairs, and sometimes other paraphernalia such as grills, roof cover, water supply, etc. While this may prove adequate to some, others find them too restricting. The tables and chairs are located at a fixed location which may not be at the most desirable spot, or even at a very desirable spot. Such spots tend to have multiple users giving a crowded feeling to all. Many such sites tend to be built over a concrete ground covering which detracts from the feeling of being outdoors. Although relatively comfortable, such sites are avoided by the more dedicated of picnickers.
To overcome an “urban” picnic experience, yet to obtain elevation above the ground for food, picnickers, or both, many picnickers bring a table and/or chairs along with their food so that above ground seating or serving can be accommodated. The problem with this approach is that the picnickers are loaded up like Santa at Christmas with chairs and tables and food and anything else desired at the picnic. If the picnic ground is some distance from the parking spot, the portage may prove anything but relaxing in each direction. To combat this problem, several devices have been proposed that allow packing of multiple picnic items in a single bundle for relatively easy transport. However, many such carriers are themselves bulky and difficult to transport or are difficult to get into and out of a typical automobile. Other such devices tend to be relatively complicated in design and manufacture making such devices relatively expensive to purchase thereby effectively eliminating the devices from a large portion of the picnicking public.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a device that brings sophistication to the average picnic by allowing food to be served off of the ground and off of a blanket spread on the ground and by allowing the picnickers to sit off of the ground and blanket. Such a device must be able to carry needed picnicking items without the device being bulky or difficult to transport or to load or unload into a typical vehicle. Such a device must be of relatively simple design and construction so that it is readily affordable to a wide segment of the picnicking public.